Resident Evil – Abduction
Chapter two
Slamming her body into the overstuffed chair, she glared up at Carlos. "If I could explain why, Olivera, don't you think I would?" Jill spat harshly. "All I know is...she disappeared."
"And she said nothing before she vanished?" he asked calmly. Losing control wouldn't help at this juncture and he wasn't about to risk losing his faculties when he needed them most.
"Nothing." She relaxed against the back of the chair as she lit the cigarette balanced deftly between her lips. She brushed the brunette locks from her forehead as she inhaled deeply before continuing, smoke escaping her mouth and nostrils as she spoke. "It was no good on my own. The security is too heavy. I would have only succeeded in getting myself killed."
Nodding, he walked to the window and peered into the darkness. He wasn't surprised she had gone off; it wasn't the first time, and probably wouldn't be the last. No, Alice had said many times she felt less than human and less than comfortable around them.
He stared at his reflection in the glass for a moment before turning around to face Jill. If the situation weren't so intense, he might have taken the time to notice how well she filled out her BDU's...right down to the knee high combat boots. Since their meeting that fateful night at Angela's middle school in Raccoon City, there had been no time to think of baser needs. In the time since that night, they had barely managed to keep one step ahead of Umbrella. Moving from place to place was an exhausting way to live; luckily, his new found 'family' was all pretty tough and was holding up well. And the women now in his life were friends, or like sisters. He was good with that.
"You look beat, Olivera," Jill observed, noting the deep furrow of his brow and dark circles under his eyes. There was a slight graying at his temples, which seemed to have happened overnight. It was the only indicator of the stress he'd been under.
She admired his strength of character. He could have easily walked away after their helicopter crashed in Arklay mountains, but he didn't. Instead, he joined her in attempting to expose Umbrella's atrocities via the video that Teri Morales of Raccoon 7 News had recorded during the viral outbreak at Raccoon City. Umbrella still managed the cover-up, discrediting the video as fake, and issuing a warrant for their apprehension.
"We need to find a way into the lab," Carlos stated distractedly. He looked toward the stairwell and the sounds of movement overhead. He hoped that meant Angie had gone back to bed...this time to rest.
"I guess we start looking for new recruits," she wisecracked, taking another drag from her cigarette.
Carlos frowned at her flippancy and shot her an annoyed look, but after thinking it over for a moment, the corner of his mouth quirked just a bit. "That's not such a bad idea."
"Are you insane?" She crossed her long legs and looked up at him in astonishment. It was possible he'd gone off the deep end.
"We need to find a way into the lab, and what better way to do it than to get someone who already works there?"
"You actually think someone will agree to help us?" she asked incredulously.
"We may have to be...persuasive."
"Very..."
The sound of a determined beep interrupted the conversation, startling both of them momentarily. Hackles rose on the back of Carlos' neck. The alarm grew louder with each passing moment as Carlos dashed over to the monitors with Jill close at his side. Something had triggered the alarm at the outermost perimeter of their surveillance and his stomach knotted the instant he saw the dark SUVs slowly traversing the secluded dirt road.
"Get the kid ready," he barked urgently. "Tell LJ to start loading the vehicles. We have ten minutes tops."
If anything good had come from all the running they had done in the past six months, it was their proficiency at packing up and moving out. There was very little to worry about. Clothing was minimal and kept packed at all times, most computer equipment was stored in one of the two vehicles they had at any given time, and food and other such supplies were replenished when they arrived at their next 'base of operations'.
Less than ten minutes after the alarm sounded, they were packed up and on the road, with no discernable evidence of their having been there.
Night vision monitors were equipped on board the SUVs, allowing them to travel for some time without headlights to alert those tracking them. With any luck, while Umbrella scoured the cabin for clues, they would be well on their way.
"So, what's the plan?" LJ asked, leaning back against the passenger seat.
Carlos glanced at the rearview mirror. Jill followed closely behind with Angie riding shotgun. It was never easy letting her out of his sight, but there were plenty of times it was necessary.
"And, where's Alice?" LJ added.
"Can't answer that, LJ. As for where we're going...we need to find a candidate at Spencer Biotech to get us into that lab."
LJ cast Olivera a sideways glance. "Just what's goin' through that thick skull of yours?"
"We need leverage," he answered. "Find me a target that could be...persuaded." His eyes narrowed into slits and he turned to look at his companion. It was too dark inside the vehicle for LJ to notice the icy determination that shone behind Carlos' dark caramel eyes. "Find me someone with something to lose."
LJ nodded and flipped open the laptop. After a few keystrokes and mouse clicks, he had Angie's little computer hacking program running like a well oiled machine. He had to give her credit; the kid was a genius. Within minutes he had Spencer's personnel files pulled up and began narrowing the search.
He glanced at Carlos again, tempted to ask just exactly what kind of persuasion he had in mind, but he had a feeling he knew. Something to lose? That was easy – family. Wasn't that what they were trying to prevent themselves? The loss of a family member?
His inner voice issued an affirmative and he entered the search parameters. Female, single parent.
Two candidates immediately popped up. He read them off to Carlos. "Thirty-eight, mother of two. Twenty-nine, guardian of a nine year old."
"Mother or guardian?" Carlos mused. "Not a hard decision. A mother would be more concerned than a guardian."LJ nodded and pulled the file on the mother. "Damn shit!" he exclaimed, glancing over the detail.
"And that is?"
"Bitch is outta the country on vacation."
"Damn it. Don't tell me what else could go wrong..." Alice ran off, making it impossible for Jill to forcibly remove the anti-virus from the lab, now the best candidate to 'help' them obtain the shit was out of the country. "Tell me about the other one," he growled.
"Riane Cayleigh Kincaid, twenty-nine, five foot seven, hundred twenty..."
"I don't give a shit how much she weighs!"
"Saw-ree. Like I was sayin'..." He returned his attention to the screen and began reading. "Recently became guardian of her nine year old niece, but it doesn't say why."
"Single..."
"Yeah, man, and she ain't a bad lookin' bitch, either...if ya like redheads."
Carlos shrugged and glanced down at the monitor. "Not really my type," he noted as he focused on the picture that LJ was pulling up. She had strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, perky little nose, and a surprisingly beautiful smile, especially for a photograph taken for a personnel file. "Not bad, though."
"Might make it easier if ya do the nasty..."
"Fuck off, LJ." He returned his attention back to the road, his hands gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles whitened. "It's not going to be like that."
"Sure, whatever, man."
His first instinct was to cold cock LJ. Instead, he kept his attention on the road made visible by the night vision screen. Occasionally, he glanced at the on-board monitor to check on the other vehicle. An infrared camera mounted at the rear window of both vehicles allowed them to see behind them. Jill would alert him if they were being followed.
222
"This place clean?" Jill asked as she slid from the driver's seat and approached Olivera, who was already beginning to unload items from the SUV he drove. She glanced around the darkened garage, noting the only light came from the open door that led into the kitchen.
"Yes. No indication of any hidden surveillance devices, and we're close enough to keep tabs on..." he turned to LJ who sidled up alongside Jill. "What's her name?"
LJ shrugged. "Kincaid is the last name. She's a redhead," he added offhandedly. "Let's get this shit inside before dawn," he suggested, grabbing two cases and heading for the door. "I'd kinda like some sleep, if it's not too much trouble."
Carlos chuckled despite their dire circumstances. "Sure, LJ. Go get some sleep. I'll wake you in a few hours."
"What about me?" Angie asked.
Carlos looked down to see Angie grabbing a couple of the lighter cases from the vehicle. "I think you need a few more hours sleep, too."
She sighed audibly, letting everyone know she was less than thrilled with the idea. Still, she nodded and walked toward the door, knowing to argue would get her nowhere. She had learned that early on after they had taken responsibility for her.
"So, Commander," Jill said, a little condescendingly. "What's the plan?"
"Didn't we go over it?" he asked wearily. He tucked a case under one arm and picked up two more, following a package laden Jill into the house.
"Yeah, well, humor me, Big Boy." She set the two boxes on the kitchen counter. "You and LJ made ninety-nine percent of the decisions while we were driving. Not a helluva lot of communication went on between the two vehicles."
He gave a curt nod of acknowledgement while setting the cases on the floor.
"Help me set up the computer, and I'll explain."
Jill groaned but pitched in and helped set up the small, but powerful system. While they worked, Carlos explained that LJ had found a possible way into the lab.
"You honestly think this woman is going to help us?" Jill asked. Her eyes focused on the computer screen while she accessed the surveillance system that Umbrella frequently used to take 'peeks' into their employees lives.
"I'm not operating under the delusion this will be easy," he acknowledged, looking over her shoulder. "What are we looking at?"
"Minimal. It's low level surveillance. Looks like they check into her activities a couple times a week," Jill informed him.
"Good. Tap into the feed and begin recording." He stood upright and stretched for a moment before running a hand through his short, black hair. "We'll need a good week's worth."
"For what?"
Silence met her question, causing her to turn around to check on him. His tall frame was stretched out on the couch and he was sleeping soundly. She knew him well enough by now to know the slightest noise would cause him to become completely alert.
She shook her head and turned back to the computer to start recording from each of the cameras installed in the woman's home. From this Kincaid's records, she had been an Umbrella employee for several years, but Jill highly doubted she was aware of Umbrella's penchant for spying into their employees' personal lives. She was in for a real eye opener.
...to be continued.